1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for generating images from the results of linear sensing processes.
2. Description of Related Art
Image synthesis systems generate images from the results of linear sensing processes. The most common forms of image synthesis systems are optical lens-based systems, such as eyes, cameras, binoculars, telescopes, microscopes, etc. Other forms of image synthesis include imaging radars, electron beam microscopes, medical x-rays, x-ray computerized tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and sonar systems.
Known digital image synthesis systems suffer from a number of inherent disadvantages. For example, some known image synthesis systems reconstruct images by using digital technology to sequentially address every pixel of an image. This requirement of sequentially addressing each pixel imposes a limit on the speed with which images may be reconstructed.
In addition, in most known digital image synthesis systems the reconstruction of an image requires the performance of at least two steps. First, the polar or spherical coordinates of a spatial frequency must be linearly transformed into rectangular coordinates. Second, the complex amplitudes of the spatial frequency components must be interpolated between neighboring data elements. This interpolation step may be extremely time consuming and may introduce errors into the resulting image.
Moreover, common optical imaging systems based on physical lenses are capable of providing numerical apertures of approximately 0.5. Rarely do such known systems provide numerical apertures approaching 1.0, and then only when the object and the lens are immersed in a fluid having an index greater than air. In addition, common optical imaging systems based on physical lenses form images that are limited in quality by the aberrations of those real lenses.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an imaging system that is not limited by the characteristics of physical lenses, and that is capable of achieving higher numerical apertures and better spatial resolution capabilities than conventional optical systems based on physical lenses.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an imaging system that avoids lens aberrations inherent in prior art imaging systems that use real lenses.
It is another object of the present invention to provide for the simultaneous projection of image elements onto every pixel of a photodetector array, thereby enabling greater image synthesis speed in comparison to digital computer based systems.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an imaging system that can operate easily in non-rectangular coordinate systems, and that does not require the performance of an interpolation step.